This Digest describes factors that may restrict access to adult literacy education in North America and discusses several potential solutions to these problems from programs that have aimed to provide adult literacy instruction to specific minority groups. Although the barriers and potential solutions apply to all minority groups, two populations…

Urban areas are the sites of many smoking prevention strategies targeting special populations. This digest provides an overview of these initiatives. Adolescents smoke for the same reasons that they use alcohol and other drugs. Personal factors that contribute to risk are enhanced by tobacco company advertising that makes smoking seem attractive.…

The number of minority graduates from accredited graduate library and information science programs has increased in the decade from 1984-85 to 1994-95. However, the percentage of minority graduates of total graduates is small, increasing from 6.79 percent minority graduation in 1984-85 to 10.01 percent minority graduation in 1994-95. The library…

Noting that many beginning students in urban public colleges and technical schools are members of minority groups, this digest offers a six-step approach to teaching these students how to write effectively. Steps in the approach described in the digest are: (1) instruct students to consider the purpose of writing, write a central idea for the…

This digest describes a research model that has shown how classroom practice can be developed, transformed, and enriched by drawing on existing "funds of knowledge" in minority students households. Funds of knowledge refers to those historically developed and accumulated strategies (e.g., skills, abilities, ideas, practices) or bodies of…

Schools play an important role in combatting racism, which, despite a quarter century of desegregation, may be increasing. Possible solutions offered in this report are: public declarations of repugnance for racism; multicultural educational programs; use of teachers as role-models; and effective use of tolerance-generating resources. Several…

Issues involved in improving administrator preparation programs are described in this ERIC Digest. A literature review identifies appropriate skills and methods for administrator training and summarizes recommendations such as application of theory to practice and development of full-time internships, school/university collaboration, mentorships,…

This digest briefly describes the symptoms and "triggers" of asthma, which is an increasing problem among urban students. The digest also presents some suggestions for maintaining a school environment conducive to the attendance of children with asthma and for developing a curriculum that supports their academic achievement. Children in…

In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education declared the United States "A Nation at Risk" because of inadequate education. A decade and a half later, the United States is still at risk because U.S. schools are failing children. Dropout rates have declined, and college attendance has risen, but student achievement has…

This digest describes two major settings for adult literacy education: adult basic education (ABE) and community college remedial programs. Candidates for literacy education tend to be of low socioeconomic status and disproportionately from non-Caucasian backgrounds. The increasing number of immigrants who are not fluent in English, and often have…

This digest reviews recent approaches and models for diverse learning environments, with specific emphasis on fostering the retention and educational achievement of ethnic minority students at community colleges. In 1997, 22.8 percent of all associate degrees were awarded to minority students, a 7 percent increase from 1987. But compared with…

The digest is based on a full length report (with the same title) on African-American and Hispanic faculty at predominantly white, four-year institutions of higher education. The full report provides a definitive review of the literature and institutional practice on the topic. Three topics are discussed: (1) how necessary affirmative action…

Educational research often defines educational goals narrowly by reading levels or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and equally narrowly correlates student success in these areas with the content of the curriculum or time spent in learning. According to Rutter et al., secondary schools with a good ethos create students who perform well…

Two groups of students at risk of not developing adequate mathematical knowledge and skills are (1) the "typical or usual" and (2) "the nominal mathematics students"--those who do not achieve at a satisfactory level in mathematics and/or do not enroll in mathematics courses beyond typical required courses. This digest provides…

This digest provides a sample of the best current Gopher and World Wide Web (WWW) resources devoted to urban and minority education, and provides Gopher addresses whenever possible in addition to Uniform Resource Locator addresses. Sites that have been developed specifically to offer resources and support to urban educators include: (1) UEweb, a…